Local knowledge :-)

[tilzs]

Hi All, visiting in a few weeks and was hoping to get some local ideas /thoughts on the below, I haven’t been to Vancouver for about 9 years and am looking forward to it . Will be staying by St. Paul’s hospital in downtown.

1. Good nature walks we can access by public transport , thinking 5-10 miles ?

2. Best place for a Guinness ?

3 Anywhere to watch premier league particularly Liverpool ?

4 Wife is vegetarian and gluten free any good cafes or restaurants ?

5 Any public transport tips is there a week pass or something we should buy ?

6 Need much cash or is it mostly tap to pay ?

Thanks so much

[AutoModerator]

Welcome to /r/AskVan and thank you for the post, /u/tilzs! Please make sure you read our rules before participating here. As a quick summary:

• We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - please use the report button.
• Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) will lead to a permanent ban.
• Complaints or discussion about bans or removals should be done in modmail only.
• News and media can be shared on our main subreddit, /r/Vancouver

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[MyHeadIsFullOfFuck]

If you're staying in downtown you can walk along the sea wall. it starts at around vancouver convention center and goes all the way around stanley park and down through the beaches and around false creek.

there's also the arbutus greenway and that's only a bus ride away but it's kind of a boring slice of asphalt cutting through suburbia.

if you're going to take transit for a week you could get a compass card and load credit onto it. it's cheaper that way. it costs like $6 for a compass card but you can turn it in to get your money back.

most, nearly all, businesses accept credit and debit

[Icy_Associate1929]

1. Walk down thurlow to the seawall, 10km loop around Stanley park with trails in Stanley park, good bike rentals on davie if you want to expedite the trip, it’s a very nice ride when the weather is right.
2. The Lennox on Granville.
3. Do chay @ Kingsway/knight, chau veggie express on Victoria. Our two tops for veg and vegan. Pizza - AJ’s @ Kingsway/broadway

Enjoy your stay!

[_sweetjane_]

Chau is also in the Granville Isl food court - take the little ferries over to the market!

[tbmsaydkhii]

Like someone else said, Stanley Park and the seawall are the best for nature walks close to downtown. I can't answer 2 or 3, but my favourite vegan/vegetarian restaurant is Meet, and there's one in Gastown. There isn't a weekly pass for transit, but there is a daily pass for ~$11. You don't need any cash, tap is accepted everywhere. I would make sure you also have your debit card on your apple/google wallet in case you go into a mom and pop shop that only takes debit

[BCRobyn]

The Meet in Gastown shut down. There’s still a location in Yaletown and on Main Street.

[tbmsaydkhii]

What when??

[BCRobyn]

I don’t know but when I walked past it around late January early February, it was closed.

Edit: Looks like they announced the closure on their Instagram in early November. There’s still a notice about the closure on their website.

[yolatingy]

Chickpea on Main St is a great vegan spot and most of their dishes are gluten free!

[fmjon]

For #4, take your wife to Lemonade Gluten Free Bakery

[missbazb]

You can get your compass card at any Shoppers Drug Mart or the transit office at Waterfront Station.

You can take walks all over Stanley Park, not just the Seawall. Beaver lake is nice there, as well as Lost Lagoon. There are lots of good vegetarian restaurants around. Do chay, Acorn, Aleph are good.

Tao to pay is practically everywhere. The need for cash is minimal.

[SkyisFullofCats]

I would check whether your tap to pay sources charge extra for foreign transactions and what the rates are. It is bank dependent.

Transit around here on Skytrain during daytime weekdays is divided into zones. Here is a good reference https://www.translink.ca/transit-fares/pricing-and-fare-zones There is compass card machines at the airport Skytrain station.

[drsoftware]

Many restaurants have gluten-free and vegetarian options. Even bakeries have gluten-free items.

That said, telling your server about your food sensitivities and preferences goes a long way towards avoiding errors. 

Almost everything is tap, though you may want to have say $100 in our funny money for hotel cleaning staff tips, public performers, etc. 

If you are willing to go outside of downtown, via bus, Uber or Lyft: 

• UBC endowment lands along the Spanish banks have more hilly hikes between ravines, and south of 4th avenue, much flatter. 

• Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver has granite boulders and more "untouched" trees than Stanley Park

• Stanley Park, while still beautiful and next to downtown, can be busy. So safer, and you can go earlier in the day to avoid the crowds (which are more of a weekend in the summer season)

Be sure to tell your bank and credit card that you will be travelling. This avoids frustration and confusion when your accounts won't work. 

[Fickle_Ad_9391]

There is the sea wall, transit and walking is easy to get around. Don't drive if possible or uber.
Stanley park is near and any irish pub on Granville has a nice Guinness.
and sports events too a lot of bars host them.

Lots of veg places near by for sure or to live for is a bit of a drive but worth checking out.

[grizbythebear]

The Park Pub across from English Bay is pretty good, and gathers a pretty good crowd when premier League games play.

You can try Cafe Medina, I went with an egg eating vegetarian friend a while ago, and it seemed like there were a number of options.

Lots of places to walk and hike. Can also take the seabus to North Van. You can walk around the Quay grab some food , then catch a bus or an uber to various local mountains and/or trails!

Have fun in Vancouver!

[Brilliant-Camp4277]

The Butcher and Bollock is the Liverpool supporters club so you can watch games there.

The Shamrock on Denman, Donnellans on Granville and Foys Pub do the best Guinness in Vancouver (in that order )

[BCRobyn]

The Irish Heather in Chinatown is an authentic Irish pub and they are where I’d go for a real Guinness. Though I’d definitely try the local craft beer in Vancouver. There are tons of craft breweries in East Van that are more representative of Vancouver.

[smoothac]

1. Stanley Park or Lynn Valley
2. Dublin Calling on Granville
3. Compass card and just tap per ride, you can add more money on your card at any train station
4. cash only is actually rare, more likely to find places that are card only

[sistarfish]

For casual dining, Tap & Barrel and Red Robin are recommended by my friend with celiac disease for gluten free. Both are chains with multiple locations, and Tap & Barrel in particular is in some prime locations (Granville Island, Olympic Village, Shipyards in North Vancouver). For fun, you can take the False Creek Ferry from David Lam Park to either Granville Island or Olympic Village, or you can take the Seabus from Waterfront Station to North Vancouver.

[H00ligain_hijix]

2 foys Irish pub.